[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 92 (Wednesday, May 26, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S3469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING JOHN WARNER

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I was saddened to learn this morning 
that our friend and former colleague, Senator John Warner, passed away 
last night.
  By the time I arrived in the Senate, John was already churning a long 
wake as one of this body's foremost voices on national defense. As a 
wartime veteran of the Navy and Marine Corps, he was deeply devoted to 
the men and women who serve in uniform.
  As a proud Virginian, John took seriously his Commonwealth's role as 
host to massive portions of America's military might, including the 
largest naval base in the world.
  As a former Secretary of the Navy, he brought Pentagon clout and 
technical chops that would help the Senate play a hugely consequential 
role in defense policy.
  John's career was capped, of course, by years as chairman and ranking 
member of the Armed Services Committee. But John made an even wider 
impact. My predecessor as chairman of the Rules Committee was a 
principled patriot across the board.
  He was also a truly old-school Virginia gentleman. John knew a thing 
or two about horseracing, for example, and that is high praise coming 
from a Kentuckian to a non-Kentuckian.
  Members on both sides of the aisle looked to John as a trusted mentor 
and friend. Our thoughts today are especially with our current 
colleagues from Virginia. So many Senators, past and present, knew John 
very well.
  Most of all, we are thinking today of his wife Jeanne; his children, 
Virginia, John, and Mary; and the entire Warner family. The Senate will 
keep them all in our prayers in the days ahead.

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